Wolf Legends
by We'll Hang From the Sky
Summary: She never believed a word they said. Why should she? It was all a myth. It was a big mistake to take that folklore for granted, though, because now she has no idea what's going on.
1. 1: Mission

Laughter could be heard throughout the whole forest along with a grunt of frustration and a sigh of annoyance. Three wolves were in the middle of clearing.

One was brown with its tail and tip of ears black while his eyes were black. He was male and was laughing his head off while rolling on the floor on his back.

The other male was a raven colour, the edge of his ears, his tail and a line running down his back a deep blood red colour along with his eyes. He was soaked to the bone, glaring at laughing male.

The only female there was a golden colour. Somehow, the very tip of her tail was purple. Her eyes were a soft blue but they held annoyance in them as she rolled them upwards.

The raven wolf snarled and charged at the brunette. The latter, seeing he was in danger, stopped laughing and started running in circles. The other chased him, determined in killing him. He got an idea and stopped suddenly. The brunette didn't notice and, the next thing he knew, he was pinned to the ground, red eyes glaring at him. He coward, afraid of what the stronger wolf would do. The female was about to get in there when a twig snapped behind her.

The three heard the sound. The raven wolf got off the brown one and got in front of the group in a battle ready stance. The other two stood behind him in a defensive stance.

A female wolf came out from behind the trees and their stances dropped. She was a snowy white, her eyes emerald green while her tails and ears were blood red. Also, her left ear was folded while the other stood up straight. It was like that naturally. She was frowning at them, her eyes showing disappointment.

They knew what was wrong. They were acting like idiots and they were supposed to be the best of their generation. The trio looked towards the ground, ashamed. Well, the two at the back were. The raven one just bowed his head, showing respect.

The white wolf snorted and nodded her head towards the north, turning her back to them. They knew it meant to follow her and they did just that. They passed through a few dozens of trees before stopping at a large one. Actually, it was the biggest tree in the forest. They entered through a secret entrance, only known to those who lived within the tree.

You see, there's a legend regarding this tree.

The legend says that a wolf living within this tree will meet another wolf. This wolf, however, will be from an enemy base. The two will fall in love and make amends between their Pack but will suffer a great loss in return.

It hasn't happened yet but no one really cared. The great loss might be them losing so they were extra careful whenever wolves would go outside. The area around the forest was well guarded, the best of the best surrounding the forest but they were hidden. Those people were called Anbu Forces. They were the best in the Pack. Konoha Pack, actually.

The white female wolf was the adoptive granddaughter of the leaders of the Pack.

As the foursome walked through the tunnel leading down to the underground, they passed by a couple of other wolves. They were probably switching shifts with the ones protecting the forest. They walked through another entrance and sunlight beat down on them. They kept walking, though. Around them were even more trees, which they considered as houses. To the left were some bushes. To the right some more bushes and to the front even more trees.

They walked for a few minutes all the way to the back of the 'village' towards the biggest tree there. They walked into it and climbed a few flights of stairs before facing an entrance covered by a big leaf. The white wolf scratched at the wall near the entrance before walking in, the other three following her.

In the room were laying two wolves, a lot bigger than the four. The female was a golden colour, a lot lighter than the younger one, and had hazel eyes along with a diamond mark on her forehead. The male was white and had dark eyes, red lines going down his eyes.

The white male snorted in acknowledgement before closing his eyes again. The golden older female rolled her eyes before standing up, walking over to her granddaughter. "Good. You guys are here," she muttered looking over at them.

"They were fooling around, Baa-chan. _Outside_." the white female wolf informed, sending a glare to the two younger males. The brown one coward while the other sighed.

"What did you want us for, Tsunade-sama?" the younger golden female asked, speaking up for the first time in hours.

Tsunade grunted and turned around, walking over to her mate. "Jiraiya here spotted a few...eh, troops from a Pack somewhere near the border of Hi no Kuni. I want you four, along with a few others, to go check it out."

"I'm not trying to be impolite or anything but, why don't you send Anbu to check it out? They're stronger than us," the raven one said narrowing his eyes at the Hokage.

"I agree with Sasuke. Besides, Sakura's never been out of the Konoha Forest. What if she gets hurt?" the brown one asked, the white female's eye twitched.

"Just because I've never went passed the Konoha Forest doesn't mean I can't take care of myself."

"And that's exactly why I want you guys to go. Sakura needs to experience combat first-hand. You guys leave at nightfall. You will get there at sunrise if you keep a steady pace. You're dismissed." Tsunade said nodding at the four.

Sasuke grunted, Ino sighed while Kiba smirked at the thought of a new mission. Sakura looked out the "window" of the tree. She could see every wolf from the spot she was standing on.

She thought about the world outside the Konoha Forest. Her friends would always tease her because she couldn't go passed it. She was the granddaughter of the Hokage and next in line for the position. They couldn't risk her getting hurt. And that's why this is the first time she's ever gone passed that.

Tsunade called her name, snapping her out of her thought. The white female looked around the room, noticing the three pups had already left, leaving her with her adoptive family. "Sakura, are you Okay?" Tsunade asked again, getting her attention. Even Jiraiya was standing up, looking at her.

Sakura nodded and looked at the floor, her tough attitude falling. "It's just that...This'll be the first time outside the Konoha Forest Boundaries. Besides, it's an ambush mission. What if it fails?"

"And that is one of the reasons why we're sending those brats. They're more capable of helping you out than Anbu." Jiraiya spoke, walking over to her and placing a paw on her shoulder. Sakura saw Tsunade smile and smiled back, worrying herself to death on the inside, _You have to be kidding me._

_This is my first story. I'd appreciate reviews, comments but NO FLAMES! I swear, I'll hunt you down and give you a slow but very painful death. I'm not one to be messed around with. Although, if you do wish to avoid death (Caused by me), I suggest you read my profile. This will be NaruSaku, seeing as that is one of the only Naruto couple that make sense. If you have any suggestions, feel free to review but, again, NO FLAMMING! I'll plunge a Chidori-charged Katana through your head if you flame...Thank you!_

- Metalhead-24


	2. 2: Departing

At the entrance of the tree, Ino, Kiba and Sasuke waited for the rest of the members of the mission. Ino was lying down, eyes closed. Sasuke was sitting on his hind, watching Kiba pace back and forth. They were all wearing headbands around their necks with the leaf symbol. Ino and Kiba had red headbands while Sasuke's was black.

There was a system in _Konoha_ (Leaf) Pack. _Genin_ (Lower-lever Wolf) has sea blue headbands. The _Chunin_ (Mid-level Wolf) wear red, the _Jonin_ (Elite Wolf) wear black, the _Tokubetsu Jonin_ (Special Elite Wolf) wear grey, the _Jonin Hancho_ (Elite Wolf Commander) wears white and the _Anbu_ (Black Ops Wolf) wear green. The colours vary among other Packs, however. For example, in the _Suna_ (Sand) Pack, _Genin_ use light brown, _Chunin_ use dark brown, _Jonin_ use maroon, _Tokubetsu Jonin_ use olive, the _Jonin Hancho_ uses bright yellow while the _Anbu_ use teal.

Colours of choice depend on the Pack's founding name and location's name. Like _Suna_ Pack lives in the deserts near _Kaze no Kuni_ (Land of Wind), so the colours are to blend in with the desert. The _Konoha_ (Leaf) Pack stays in the forests deep within _Hi no Kuni_ (Land of Fire). Only for those who live within the _Konoha_ Pack and are allies with them know of all the entrances and exits of the forests. _Suna_, _Kumo_ (Cloud), and _Kusa_ (Grass) are _Konoha's_ only allies. The _Oto_ (Sound), _Kiri_ (Mist) and _Iwa_ (Rock) Packs hold grudges against _Konoha _and _Suna._

In fact, the last Pack War was between _Iwa_ and _Konoha_.

_Konoha_ won that war but many lives were lost. The win was fortunate. One male took on many of the armies. Although he was reckless, he was the fastest male anyone had ever seen. Because of his status and abilities, this wolf, Namikaze Minato, took his place as the _Yondaime Hokage_ (Fourth Fire Shadow, aka, the Leaf's leader). However, his position as _Hokage_ (Fire Shadow) only lasted two years.

_Konoha_ was ambushed from the inside, an _Iwa_ warrior had gotten inside _Konoha_ and found its source of weakness. The attack was small but it took the _Yondaime Hokage's_ life. That wasn't the only thing _Konoha_ lost that day. Minato's mate, Uzumaki Kushina, lost her life after giving birth to Minato's pup. _Iwa_ Warriors took the pup and fled.

Later, Tsunade was appointed the position of _Godaime Hokage_ (Fifth Fire Shadow) and adopted Sakura.

And talking about the wolf, Sakura walked up to the group with two more wolves behind her. Both were male with their furs black. One had its paws covered in dark green fur along with the tip of the tail and ears. His eyes were a lazy dark colour. The other one was completely black, save for his muzzle being white. His eyes were the colour of his fur. The males were wearing red headbands while Sakura was wearing blue. Ino's eyes lit up when she looked at the three.

"Finally! I was starting to think that the mission had been cancelled." Ino exclaimed standing up.

Sakura looked over her shoulder, "Sai was easy to handle. Shikamaru was the pain. He wouldn't wake up."

"Typical," Sasuke muttered rolling his eyes skywards. Shikamaru, the one with green fur, yawned while ignoring their comments.

"Hag, what's the mission?" Sai asked looking at Sakura, who glared at him. But then her eyes softened.

She remembered it wasn't his fault. After all, he didn't really know much about emotions. You see, there was this organization, _Roots_, that was working behind Tsunade's back. _Roots_ was an organization that contained warriors who were trained to be the Pack's 'roots', hence the name. However, this organization was cruel enough to torture warriors into silence and have no emotions. A head in the council, Danzo, had been leading that organization under Tsunade's nose.

After a mission involving Sasuke, Sai and two more _Anbu_ members, Tsunade was able to get enough proof and band Danzo out of the Pack. All of the _Roots_ members were freed from captivity, including Sai, who belonged to _Roots_. He's been hanging around Sakura, Kiba and Sasuke ever since Tsunade banded that organization.

"Originally, it was to go to the outskirts of the forest and capture those warriors near the border of _Hi no Kuni_. However, Jiraiya-jiji told me that one of his spies informed that the group changed its course, heading to one of the areas without many defences. We are to meet Kakashi and Tenzou there and ambush them." Sakura explained watching over the group.

"Why couldn't _Anbu_ do it? They're better in interrogation and much faster." Sasuke questioned narrowing his eyes.

"We're short-staffed right now. Tsunade-shishou has many of her _Anbu_ investigating a problem near the border between _Kaminari no Kuni_ (Land of Lightning) and _Hi no Kuni_. We're the only team capable of this mission. Besides, Ino's the daughter of the number two interrogator in _Konoha_. We'll hold." Sakura said glancing at her best friend ever since she was a pup. Ino looked away in embarrassment.

"Okay. Anything else?" the only white wolf asked looking around at the group.

Kiba snorted, "Good luck keeping up, _Hime_." The brunette emphasized the word 'Hime' with a grin. Sakura's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the name.

"Troublesome mates." Shikamaru mumbled, expecting the two to start fighting at any given moment. If the two would just stop to look at themselves, they would find out that they were the perfect couple.

"Eat my dust, _Pup_." Sakura teased back, turning away from them and running into the forest. Ino chuckled at Kiba's pissed off expression. Kiba used to be the shortest one of their group in the Academy. Although that was over four years ago and the Inuzuka had grown up since then, they still teased him about it.

Deciding they didn't want to lose Sakura out of their smelling range, the five followed her. Upon catching up to her, they kept a steady pace.

Unknown to them, the _'Hime'_ wasn't going to be a princess anymore._  
_  
_Sorry for taking long. I got caught up in the Halloween Spirit. I just love it. Get to scare the shit out of little kids. Anyway, every time a new word relating the Prophecy or the Packs, it will be in Italics and will have the definition afterwards. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Action will start next chapter. And, if it looks like it's going to follow the canon but only in wolf mode, it won't. I do plan on humans being in this fic. No, it's not Naruto. But I do have a little surprise here. Hint? Sorry, no can do. I feel like leaving ya'll in suspense as to the surprise._

_I'm terribly sorry for any spelling mistakes. It's the keyboard's fault, not mine. The keys get stuck. Plus, I don't have a Beta Reader and my friend's, uh, asleep at this moment. Don't worry 'NaruSaku: ADL' fans! I'll wake her up so she can start on the next chapter. She told me that Naruto and Sakura come back to life and go- Ooops, sorry. Well, at least I didn't say too much. Don't snitch on me or I'll go get Freddy from 'Nightmare On Elm Street' so he can hunt your dreams. And, trust me, I will do it. Anyway, review!_


	3. 3: Battle!

_Third chapter of 'Wolf Legends'. If you're not caught up to date, Tenzou is Yamato-taicho. I decided to use his real name for the hell of it._

Upon arriving at the Hi no Kuni northern border, the group stopped behind some bushes. Sasuke jerked his head back and they walked away backwards, keeping their eyes on the clearing in front of them. They heard rustling from behind and turned around, their guards up.

A silver wolf with one eye black and the other red came out along with a brown male with dark eyes. The group's stance loosened upon recognizing the two.

"Tenzou, Kakashi." Sasuke muttered glaring at the two.

"Sorry for scaring you guys but we needed to know if Sakura was ready." Kakashi answered nodding his head at the white and red wolf, who looked away.

Sakura's gaze fell. She hated when wolves did that. They judge her by her size and status in the Pack. So what if she was the Hokage's grand pup? She could still take care of herself. After all, Tsunade did teach her how to defend herself against others. That's another thing that pissed her off. Tsunade had assigned her a Genin in the mission. A Genin! She knew what Sakura was capable of, yet, she made her a low-level warrior.

Ino saw her friend's condition and frowned. She understood her pain, kind of. Others judged the female wolves by size and age. Although they were only teenagers, Ino and Sakura were the best females of their generation. Sakura knew a little too much about analysing and planning while Ino loved interrogating pups. The two were also taught in the medicine field by Tsunade herself for two years. Sakura was better than Ino at it but they were still strong.

Both snapped out of their thoughts when Sasuke spoke. "Where's this group from, Kakashi?" he asked looking back at the direction of the clearing. There were at least ten wolves out there. Kakashi followed Sasuke's gaze, frowning.

"Iwa Pack." Tenzou replied his eyes landing on Sakura and Kiba. They both growled under their breaths. They held grudges against Iwa. During that little ambush Iwa committed sixteen years ago on Konoha, Sakura's parents were killed along with Kiba's father.

"What do you suggest we do?" Sai asked glancing at the two before looking at the Anbu.

"I suggest that we lie in wait for now. Observe their way of talking, walking, sitting, etc. After sunset, we attack." Shikamaru suggested yawning. Kakashi and Tenzou looked at each other and nodded. Each took a position ten feet away from each other. Under bushes, behind tree, on tree branches, you name it.

Sakura was the one who picked the perfect spot. She had an open view of the group and her friends' position. She couldn't be seen unless someone was at a higher angle than her, like Kakashi and Sai. Sakura cocked her head to her right to get a better view. Her eyes travelled through the whole group. Most of them had brown fur but in different patterns and shades. The only one without brown fur caught her attention.

It was a male who looked to be about her age. His fur was a dark orange, almost red. His paws, the tips of his ears and tail were black. His muzzle was black, too. What stood out of him, however, were his eyes. They were the deepest blue Sakura had ever seen. The male was sitting away from the group, eating his dinner alone. He had a dark grey headband hanging from his neck with the Iwa symbol on it.

Iwa Genin, Sakura thought remembering back to what Tsunade had taught her about Iwa. The rest of the group was wearing either a dark brown headband, Chunin, or a light brown, Jonin, with the Iwa symbol.

Ignoring any of the other sounds around her, Sakura focused on the conversation going on. "Yo, Naruto! Why are you sitting way over there?" a brunette with black circles on his back said looking over at the Genin. Naruto glanced at them before going back to his food. "Aww, come on! You can't be mad at that prank we pulled on you still." the brunette whined with a grin. The Genin snarled at him before standing on his four paws and walking ever further away from the group.

"Stupid brat. Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

Naruto ignored him, walking in Sakura's direction. The female froze.

"Naruto! It was just payback for all those pranks you pulled on us!" That made the male stop. He looked over his shoulder at them. Whatever conversation that had been going ended at that last shout.

Naruto's glare was ice cold, making them shiver. "That was over four years ago." Sakura shuddered at his deep voice, liking how it sounded. The Genin turned back to the front and kept walking.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk,"

With that, Naruto disappeared into bushes. Ignoring the group's mumbling, Naruto lay down in front of the tree Sakura was hiding behind in. She gulped, trying to make as little noise as possible.

If he found her, it could mean a fight. The mission was to ambush them without them knowing about it. If a fight broke out, they could lose. This Iwa group had over ten males and the Konoha group had six males and two females. Sakura and Ino were experts in defense but, in offense, they weren't so good. But then, considering Sai, Kakashi and Tenzo were (or used to be in Sai's case) in Anbu, they could probably make it out alive. Not to mention, Sasuke was one of the top Jonin in the Pack because of his good sense of sight, hearing and reflex.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. "I know you're there. You can come out, I don't bite." Naruto muttered opening one eye. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Kakashi tense. She ignored him, though. That Naruto pup had found her out. She was dead, she knew it.

"Hey, I said come out. I know you're a female by the smell of it." Naruto said opening his other eye.

_Damn it. What is he? Super wolf or something?_ Sakura thought glaring at the tree. She heard Naruto chuckle.

"You can say that."

_What the- I didn't say that out loud. I thought it. Who is this guy?_ Sakura was confused. She had thought that, didn't she? Then, why did he answer her? Deciding she would just have to stand up to him, Sakura started walking out from behind the tree.

Naruto sat up slowly, getting a good look at her. His eyes travelled up to hers and they met. Slitted emerald green met slitted sapphire blue.

Naruto grinned, his canines showing, "Hey."

Sakura broke the eye contact and narrowed her eyes. _What is he? Bipolar or something? First, he was pissed off, now he's grinning like an idiot. The hell's wrong with him? And, didn't he notice I'm from Konoha?_

Naruto's grin fell. He heard that. Yet, her lips didn't move at all. His eyes narrowed. _The hell? Did she say that?_

Sakura's eyes widened. He didn't say that out loud, did he? His mouth didn't move and his eyes were glued to her face in concentration. She took a step back, not wanting to be near him.

Naruto just watched her step away from him. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw one of his team members jump into the bush. The Iwa Chunin tackled Sakura into the tree. Sakura groaned as her side hit the tree. Her eyes shot open and she pushed the Chunin off her with her paws.

Quickly standing up, Sakura snarled at the smirking Chunin. "Konoha Genin. This will be easy." Sakura growled, glaring at him. Naruto watched her as she took a defensive stance. Spreading her back legs and placing her right paw behind her left one, crouching down. The Chunin took an offensive stance before pounding on her. Sakura side-stepped the pound, letting the Chunin's face hit the tree.

If he wasn't in the middle of something, Naruto would have laughed his ass off. He managed to snicker, though. Sakura's eyes landed on him, making him tense. Her eyes narrowed and sharpened. Naruto saw something behind her and growled. "Move!" He tackled her to the ground as an Iwa Jonin flew over them. The Jonin turned around as Naruto stood up in front of Sakura, crouched down in an offense stance.

Sakura shook her head and looked at Naruto, "What are you doing? I'm from Konoha and you're from Iwa! We're enemies!"

Naruto snorted, "We're not here to fight. We're here to go to _Nami no Kuni_ (Land of Waves) to deliver something."

The female stood up, "It doesn't take over ten males to deliver something."

The male rolled his eyes, "We're crossing enemy territory. We need as much members as possible. But now, thanks to that stupid Chunin, we're fighting."

"That Chunin? You're the one that wanted me to come out." Sakura stated glaring at his back. The Jonin just watched them bicker with an amused frown.

"My intent was to tell you not to worry because we weren't going to attack. Now, I see it was a mistake. You're way too stubborn to talk to." Naruto muttered looking over his shoulder at her.

"Oh, yeah? Look who's talking!" she shot back glaring at him.

Naruto was going to say something back when there was an anguished howl. Kiba was thrown into the tree Sakura was hiding behind a few minutes ago. "Kiba!" Sakura ran over to his side as he stood up.

"Sakura, get out of here. They're too strong." Kiba told her while glaring at the Jonin that had thrown him. The Jonin glared back.

Naruto stepped in front of the Jonin. "We're not here to fight. We have to deliver the scroll to _Nami_." Naruto stated as the Jonin huffed.

"Deliver what?" Tenzou asked walking out of the shadows.

Naruto jumped slightly at the newcomer. _He scared the crap out of me!_ Naruto thought narrowing his eyes at Tenzou. Sakura chuckled a little but then realized he hadn't said it aloud. Their eyes met for the second time. Kiba saw the connection and growled under his breath.

"I asked you a question." Tenzou said making the two break the contact.

"It's really none of your business," a Chunin stated walking over to them.

"Unless we see what you're going to deliver, you cannot go into Hi no Kuni." Kakashi muttered walking up to Kiba.

"I guess that means we're going to fight," another Jonin stated as he appeared behind the Chunin. Sasuke, Sai, Ino and Shikamaru ran over to Kakashi's side as the rest of the Iwa's team appeared. From close inspection, Sakura could tell that there were eighteen Iwa ninja. Konoha was only eight.

They were dead.

"Guys, seriously, we don't have to fight." Naruto tried again but failed when a Jonin pushed him aside.

"The only reason why you came here was because you wanted a higher ranked mission. You got it. Now get ready to fight, Uzumaki."

Naruto growled lowly but everyone ignored him.

"Guys, get ready. These males are brutal." Kakashi informed as he got into an offensive stance. The Konoha males followed his example while Ino went to the back of the group and into her defensive stance. Only two from Iwa got into a defensive stance while the rest into an offense. Naruto and Sakura were the only ones who didn't move.

They stared at each other, ignoring everything else around them. Naruto decided to try something first.

_Help me,_ he thought, hoping she would hear him this time. And, by the way her eyes widened, she did.

_What- How are- What's going-...Okay._ Sakura thought she was going crazy. But she decided to push that thought aside when the orange wolf smiled at her.

_Good. Now, listen close. I have a plan. _Naruto glanced at his Jonin leader, the one with black circles on his back. _The one I'm looking at has a scroll inside his headband. Get one of your teammates to distract him and then you grab the scroll. You flee with it and I go after you. Got it?_

_You're making me sound like I'm a three-year-old pup._

_Got it?_

_Yeah, sure._

Sakura rolled her eyes but she grinned. She didn't trust this male but she liked his bravery. And the nerve of this plan, it was...exciting. This is just what she wanted. The only reason why she became a warrior, besides the fact that she was next in line for the position of Hokage, was because she wanted to feel the adrenaline of the danger on missions. She never told anyone this, not even Ino, who knew all of her deepest secrets.

Her eyes landed on Kakashi and Tenzou. She was certain that they were going to take on Naruto's leader. Or maybe even Sasuke. Whoever it was, she needed to pay attention to them. But then...Her eyes landed on two Iwa Chunin who were looking at her with grins.

She had her own problems with these two. Sakura heard a low growl and turned her head slightly to her right. Kiba crouched down even lower, glaring at the two who were grinning at her. The white wolf had to fight against the will to smirk. Kiba always had her back on missions. That was one of the reasons why he was one of her best friends.

Sakura turned back to the Iwa Warriors. The last thing she heard before the battle began was a mental whisper from the Iwa Genin.

_Good luck._

_Ah, battle's starting. I felt like I should leave it there. Why? To get things started of course. Now, next chapter will definitely have more action then in this one. Over half of it will be fighting. Not only between Iwa and Konoha but also between another wolf gang. Why I updated so fast? Well, let's just say that my friend fell asleep again and I stole her laptop. Eh, not actually stole but just took it to my house without her family noticing or her permission. Oh, well, I'll give it to her tomorrow morning at the bus stop. Anyway, hope you liked this one. Things are gonna heat up next chapter, I promise ya'll that!_


	4. 4: Escape

_How long has it been? A year? Probably more? Eh, whatever. So, I was on a huge debate whether or not to continue this story. After a year, I got in contact with my friend and she motivated me enough to make my mind up for me. Yes, Wolf Legends is now in session….Again!_

Sakura let out a grunt as a Chunin tackled her to a tree. Her back aching in pain, she pushed him off by scratching the side of his face. He howled in pain and got off, only to glare back at her and charge at her again.

Sasuke came rushing in, tackling him to the other side of the clearing. He sent Sakura a nod before going after him. Sakura glared at his back then looked around the clearing. Everyone was holding their ground with at least one wolf.

Something caught her eye and she turned towards it. Kakashi had knocked down Iwa's Jonin leader. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura ran over and picked up the scroll the leader had dropped after being tackled. She turned to the orange wolf, watching as he struggled to hold Kiba back.

_I got it!_

Naruto snapped his head towards her, giving Kiba enough momentum to throw him down. Kiba jumped over him to help Ino. Naruto looked up at Sakura as the battled raged on around them. Sakura got the silent message and ran off, scroll in her mouth. Slowly getting up, Naruto turned to his leader, who was holding off Kakashi.

"I'm going after her! She has the scroll!" Naruto barked before going into the chase. A Chunin caught onto the orange wolf's plan of chasing her and went to go after until Kiba blocked his path.

"Where do you think you're going, mutt?" Kiba asked a grin plastering onto his lips. _Good job, Sakura. Just make sure to get outta' here before that kid catches you._

~NEXT SCENE~

Sakura panted as she ran away from the fighting as fast as possible. She knew that Naruto kid was behind her but she didn't know of any other wolf had followed them. She really hoped not.

_Okay, female, you can stop now. No one's following us._

Sakura slowed down to stop right before the trees ended and the desert started. She dropped the scroll onto the ground before her and let herself fall. She took in deep breaths, which were soon joined in with deeper inhales from the male wolf. He sat down on his hind, looking up at the sky as he gulped in breaths and breaths of air.

"You're too damn fast." Naruto commented after he was able to start breathing normally. Sakura closed her eyes and shrugged. She winced and sat up, looking down at her right shoulder and paw. They were bleeding profusely, and she wondered how she had been able to run so much with that wound.

Naruto watched as she started licking away the blood, a hiss escaping her lips every once in a while. Deciding to help her, he stood up and walked over to her. He leaned down, sticking out his tongue to run it over her shoulder. Sakura stopped licking her paw as soon as the contact registered in her brain.

The orange wolf had his eyes closed so he couldn't see her shocked expression. He kept licking her blood away. Sakura's eyes softened and she went back to licking her paw.

Once sure there wasn't any blood oozing out any more, Naruto stopped to look at his work. Her fur was now a dirty white with red patches all over but it looked better than the bloody mess earlier. Sakura looked at him then leaned in to lick the side of his muzzle. Naruto's eyes widened slightly at the action then backed away from her somewhat, shuffling his front paws against the dirt.

Sakura turned away from him, settling her gaze on the sunset. "It's almost nightfall. We won't be able to see in the dark." Her words registered in his brain and he scoffed lightly, walking up to sit beside her.

"I'm not going back. You can keep the scroll." Naruto stood up and started walking out into the desert slowly. Sakura's eyes widened and she stood up to follow him.

"Where do you think you're going? We need to head back into the forest or some rebels might hunt us down! Even worse, humans could find us!" Sakura whispered hurriedly, glancing back to the forest as it slowly faded from sight. Naruto ignored her but only kept on walking. Sakura growled and jumped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"What are you doing-"

"I don't want to go back," Naruto glared, making Sakura take a step back. "I hate Iwa. They treat me like trash because I'm a native from the Konoha Pack. This mission was a final getaway for me. That's why I asked for it. I didn't care if it was going to be carried out to the end. I just wanted out." Naruto explained before walking around her stunned form to keep going.

Sakura blinked then turned around to walk beside him. "Why didn't you just leave the Pack?"

"Because then I'd be hunted down, and wouldn't be able to live in peace." Naruto answered, glancing back at her. From their close proximity, he could see just how much her eyes shone. "If I left during a mission, they'd think I was K.I.A."

Sakura frowned and turned forward. Looking back, she saw that the forest was already out of view. She had no idea in which direction they were headed or coming from. If she attempted to go back, she'd probably get lost. Worse, she'd be alone. She didn't want that. She could get killed. No matter how much training she could get, she wasn't invincible.

She glanced at Naruto. Besides, what if this idiot got hurt? She wouldn't be able to live with herself (if she were to return alive, that is), knowing she could've made a difference if he were to die.

Sakura sighed. Sometimes, she hated her nature for being so damn loyal.

_~Next Scene~_

Night had settled in a couple of hours later. They could barely see if their paws were in front of their snouts, let alone see where they were headed. They only thing that told them the other was still with them were the crunching if grass under their paws and their eye colours. The little light the half-moon provided only served as a means to show them that they weren't running into any trees.

No conversation had been made after Naruto had clearly told her of his plan. The male honestly didn't know why she was still with him. She could've gone back once they had started their trek. But she stood with him. He was slightly confused but he didn't dare say a thing to her. He was still freaked out by the fact that they could read each other's thoughts.

Who in their right mind wouldn't be freaked out by a total stranger being able to read your mind?

Then again, this stranger was really beautiful, despite all the blood on her.

Blood. She had blood all over her from the previous fight. They were **both** soaked to the bone in blood.

_Shit, _Naruto cursed as he suddenly stopped, looking behind him at the way they had come from. Sakura stopped as soon as she heard his swear. She looked at him then behind them. She turned back to him in confusion.

No one could've followed them here. It was them, and they were dead tired. Their muscles were burning and though their breathing was even, their heart rate was up the roof. Besides, they were way past the Hi no Kuni border by now. There's no way Konoha Pack warriors would cross the frontiers, even on a search.

And a search would take at least a day to be carried out.

Also, judging by the way the Konoha Pack had been fairing with the Iwa Pack back there, they probably wouldn't make it back to Konoha for a while.

When Sakura voiced her question, Naruto sat down. "We're both soaked in blood. We left a trail, both on the ground and in the air. There's a slim chance that they might catch us but it's not very high. It's not them I'm worried, though."

Sakura's eyes widened at his implications. Rebels. Rebels might pick up the scent of their blood and track them down. No, they couldn't get in another fight. They wouldn't survive it.

Quickly, Sakura gave Naruto a check-up. He had been limping slightly, having sprained his left hind paw in the chase earlier. His muzzle was a deep shade of red because of the dried blood all over it. His right front paw was still bleeding slightly but not by much.

Sakura herself was beat up. Her right shoulder was closing and opening because of the travelling. She wasn't limping as much as her male companion but it was still there. She was sure there was a scratch on the side of her snout and her tail was covered in dried blood.

For the short time they had been fighting, they were really fucked up.

Naruto stood up and began walking again, Sakura soon following. "We need to cover more ground, or find a better place to stay at. Rebels might find us here." Naruto said as soon as she was on his side. Sakura gave a curt nod but they both froze in their tracks when they heard a chuckle coming from behind them.

"Well, well, if it isn't an Iwa and Konoha Genin. Come on out, boys, I think we hit the jackpot tonight."

_So, yeah, there it is. It isn't much for a comeback, sorry. I guess I'm just too tired right now but I couldn't go to sleep and leave this all alone. So, here ya' go! Reviews are much welcome. Remember, reviews = happy author = more chapters._

_- We'll Hang From the Sky (previously Metalhead-24)_


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